Sweet Emotion
by tosakuai
Summary: Naruto and Team Kakashi have just returned home from a mission. Our blonde hero seems to have a lot on his mind. Can Sakura Cheer him up? Set after Sanbi Arch. Complete.


**Disclaimer: Naruto and all Characters are the property of Kishimoto and Co. The story is all mine.**

* * *

It had been a long day at the hospital and Sakura needed a trip to the hot springs, but that was going to have to wait. She'd just spent the afternoon patching up Naruto after their most recent mission and she hadn't had a chance to take care of herself. He wasn't the only one she had taken care of. Sai had a concussion and Yamato-taicho had multiple gashes that needed attention. Naruto had mostly bumps and bruises now, but he was so hard on himself during this last mission. He had taken multiple hits from kunai and shuriken. He only did it to protect those who were important to him, but he'd be dead if it wasn't for that amazing healing ability of his. Oh well, he probably wouldn't be so hard on his body if he didn't heal so quickly and he had her healing palm ability to patch him as well. Well, Sakura wasn't sure if it was his trust in her ability or if he just took it for granted.

He had already gone home by the time she was done patching up Yamato-taicho, so she walked home alone. After this last mission she could really use some time to herself to think. They had been on several missions since the failure to seal the three tails, but that mission had been hard on the team, especially Naruto. At least they only lost the bijuu and not the boy. Naruto had been so concerned for his safety that she really wondered at his tender heart. He had known so much pain in his own life and he didn't want that little boy to go through the same pain that he and Gaara had shared. She hadn't seen him _really_ smile since that mission and Sakura found herself confused as to her own feelings about the blonde baka. Sakura walked down the shaded path thinking about how she had been treating him. She was always calling him "Baka Naruto," but what he lacked in knowledge and comprehension, he made up for with heart and determination. He was always there for her and he had made her a promise of a life time just because he wanted her to be happy. He was going to bring Sasuke back for her even if it cost him his own happiness. She was selfish in her request back then. She was only thinking of her broken heart and so was he…

They were growing up. No longer did they worry about one another during a mission. They each had their role to play and they had faith that they could each take care of their part of the mission. Naruto even held back from his previous habit of charging into the battle before knowing what was going on. He was still at the front of the attack, but his maturity still surprised her.

She walked in a daze on the road from the hospital to her house. She could barely keep her eyes open, but she needed a bath and her dinner had been only an apple she had grabbed at the hospital. She wasn't feeling very hungry, but her chakra was so low from all that healing that she needed rest soon.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto called out to her.

She turned around to see Naruto sitting on the grassy place near the steps that usually was occupied by Shikamaru when he was cloud watching.

"Naruto, I thought you had already gone home," Sakura replied dazedly. She had been deep in thought about him and hadn't expected to see him tonight.

"I couldn't go home. There isn't anyone there any way. I just got some Raman and came here," he replied.

'Was that a hint of depression in his voice?' Sakura said to herself. He had sure been quite for Naruto.

"Want to hang out? It wouldn't have to be a date or anything. I know that you have been at the hospital all day and I thought maybe you might want to just sit and watch the stars come out with me," he said as he pointed to a soft patch of grass that almost looked like he had reserved it just for her.

"Naruto…I… I'd like that," replied Sakura. Had he been waiting for her after all?

Sakura took her place on the spot he had motioned for her to sit on and sat her med kit on the grass next to her. It was almost empty from all the bandages and supplies she had used up, but she was so exhausted that it still felt heavy. She pulled her knees up to her chin and hugged them as she sat there next to her blonde teammate. There was silence between them, but it was not uncomfortable. It was as if he was saying that they were both tired and just wanted to be with her and that was ok. She had sat close enough to him that she could feel the heat of his body. Had she ever really been this close to his personal space without there being a battle going on? The last time he tried to sit next to her this close she had launched him into a tree trunk.

It was so nice sitting there in silence with him that she found herself resting her head on his shoulder. The next moment she was sleeping softly. Naruto sat there with flushed cheeks, but he dare not move so as not to disturb her. She had worked so hard that day and he knew it.

'She may have monstrous strength, but she is still so beautiful-dattabayo,' Naruto mused to himself.

He'd been in love with her for so long, that this just felt right. The sun was now behind the trees and he shifted so that he was lying on the grass with her head against his chest. They had been like that for a while as the stars slowly made their appearance but Naruto dare not fall asleep yet. It felt so right that he didn't want to mess it up. He saw a shooting star and remembered the last star he wished on. He had been doing element training with Yamato and Kakashi. He had been thinking of Sakura then to. He had been thinking of his promise to her to bring Sasuke back. He had needed to be stronger. Sasuke wouldn't recognize him without at least matching their strengths. He just wanted to see the pink haired kunoichi happy back then. She shifted a little, but it only brought her more into his arms.

'What is this feeling?' thought Naruto. Why was it such a rush to be here with her? He had always had feelings for her, but this was more of an adrenaline rush. He could feel his cheeks warm as they flushed. It felt so right to hold her here under the stars.

"Aishiteru, Sakura-chan," Naruto whispered. He couldn't hold his feelings back, but he didn't want to wake her.

"Naruto," Sakura whispered in her sleep.

'Is she dreaming of me?' thought a wide eyed shinobi. He didn't want to ruin this moment, but now he was curious as to what she was dreaming about.

"Naruto…Sasuke … don't go…" She said in her dream

Naruto wasn't surprised that she was dreaming of Sasuke too, but he had to admit to himself that he was disappointed.

"Sasuke…don't follow him…Naruto"

Now he was really confused. Was she dreaming of Sasuke leaving or of him going after Sasuke?

"Naruto…love…"

Wow!! Now he really wanted to know what she was dreaming about!

She slowly settled into a deeper sleep leaving Naruto in a state of confusion by what she had just said. He'd never heard her talk to herself in her sleep before on any of their missions together. They were usually making fun of his sleep talking. Yamato even refused to sleep in the same room with him after he tried to hit him with a resengan in his sleep.

They lay there until he could no longer hear any sounds coming from the village. It was starting to get colder and the wind began to blow. This was Konoha after all and the wind was always blowing, but he didn't want Sakura to get cold. His heart was racing still from earlier so he was fine, but she was pressing her body against his instinctively searching for warmth.

He decided that it would be best to take her home. If he managed not to disturb her he would just take her home to her own bed. They hadn't slept much on that last mission either and he was feeling like his eyes could slam shut any minute. He was also afraid of getting clobbered by her if they slept here all night. She hadn't hit him much lately, but waking up in his arms could be too much no matter how innocent it was.

He slowly shifted his weight so that he could sit up and still keep her head on his chest. He then reached under her legs with his free arm and gently lifted her off the ground. He almost forgot her medical bag, but managed to grab it with two fingers before slowly walking toward her house. She stirred only a little as he jumped up onto her balcony, but settled down again the next instant. She felt as light as a feather in his arms and his own lack of sleep didn't bother him as he slowly removed his shoes before entering. He had never been inside her house, but her smell caressed him as he entered her room. He sat her bag on the desk next to her bed before he gently positioned her on her bed. He then found a blanket in her closet to cover her with. He left her feet uncovered as he slowly removed her knee high boots and placed them on the balcony next to his. Naruto then adjusted the covers and paused long enough to let his lips brush her cheek before he turned to leave. He crept out the door onto the balcony and jumped up onto the roof after putting his own shoes back on. Now it was his turn to fall asleep if he was able. He was feeling the exhaustion in his body from the mission, but his heart was racing and his mind wouldn't stop replaying scenes of his beloved Sakura.

His own room felt empty as he removed his shoes by the door and slowly made his way to bed. He was too tired to put his usual sleep wear on, so he just pulled off his jacket, t-shirt, under armor, and pants leaving them in a trail from the door and crawled under the covers. His thoughts kept returning to the pink haired girl of his dreams that had just spent the better part of two hours in his arms. They had only ever been friends, but in his heart she was his everything. Her strength and capability on the battlefield was a far cry from the little girl who always had to be protected on their missions back when team 7 was whole. He no longer had to keep aware of her every move to make sure she was safe, but he felt comfort and fear in that thought at the same time. He trusted her abilities, but he didn't want to lose her if something should go wrong. He'd seen her cry too often to want to see those tears again. The last time she cried was when he had gone kyuubi while training with Kakashi and Yamato. He was sure she didn't know he had been watching her as one of his clones had lost control of the fox's chakra, but he had seen the tears in her eyes. Why did the kyuubi bring out the fear in the village, but only tears from Sakura?

That question would have to be answered another time as he slowly lost his battle with sleep. Her emerald eyes ever on his heart as he dreamed.

"Aishiteru, Sakura-chan…"

* * *

Sakura slowly opened her eyes. 'Where am I?' she thought to herself. The last thing she remembered was sitting next to Naruto on the hill waiting for the stars to come out. She remembered putting her head on his shoulder and nothing more. 'Did I fall asleep? Where is Naruto? Is this _my_ blanket?' Sakura sat up in her bed realizing that she was in her own room. She still had on the cloths that she was wearing yesterday, but her boots were gone. She was in her bed, but she was on top of the blankets she had already on the bed and was covered in a blanket she knew she had put in the closet until it was needed on colder nights. She looked at the clock and it was already 5:30 and the sun was coming up in among clouds laced with pink and orange.

'Naruto must have brought me home last night. I guess I didn't realize how tired I really was,' she thought to herself.

'Come to think of it, I'm kind of sad that our time together was so short. We haven't spent that much time actually being together in a long time. In fact, we haven't just hung out since he broke his arm against Akatsuki,' she thought, not realizing that she had been in his arms for almost two hours the previous evening.

'I had such a weird dream too. I was dreaming that I was begging Naruto not to follow Sasuke. It was if the need to search for him no longer remained and that I just wanted Naruto to stay with me… Did he say 'aishiteru'?' Sakura tried to figure out the confusion of dream mixing with reality. Had she really heard him say that he loved her? She knew that he had always liked her. It was like what Tsunade had said about Jiraiya when they were younger. That Jiraiya was always asking her out on dates and even failed in an attempt to peek at her at the hot springs, which ended in him almost losing his life. In fact she had overheard Jiraiya tease Tsunade recently about the constant rejection he had always received from her whenever he had asked her out.

Sakura stumbled sleepily toward the bathroom to take a nice long soak in the tub after a quick shower. She needed the time to sort out her feelings if at all possible. Team Kakashi had to report to Tsunade-shiso by 7:30, so she had to make good use of her time. However, she really needed this time alone. She was so looking forward to alone time last night, but time with Naruto had been restful too. Now she wanted to know how last night had gone since she didn't remember much. She would find her blonde teammate as soon as she was able and ask him what time he had taken her home. Come to think of it, he hadn't ever set foot in her room before and where were her boots? Did he really go through all the trouble to put her to bed or was it her mom?

Sakura returned from her soak in the tub. She quickly got dressed in her every day cloths consisting of a cream shirt, black mini skirt, and red vest with the family crest on it. She looked all over for her boots and finally found them on the balcony.

'Naruto must have been the one to remove my boots. That was actually kind of sweet of him. Why don't I picture him as the type that would do such a thing? Don't I know him better than that?' she pondered as she carried her boots and her med kit down stairs. She needed to get it refilled on her way to the Hokage mansion and she hoped that Ino wouldn't be working this morning. Ino had a way of irritating her and she was in no mood to have the peaceful feeling gained from her bath to be broken by her sharp tongued rival.

"Sakura, I thought you were back from you mission yesterday? Where have you been?" quizzed her mother.

"Mom, I'm a ninja! I had to work late at the hospital and I spent time hanging out with Naruto, is that so terrible?!" Sakura said.

Her mom gave her a strange look at the mention of Naruto's name, but Sakura didn't seem to notice. Her mom was always treating her like a child even though she was now 16 and ready to get a place of her own, even if it wasn't a change she was wanting to make right now. She pulled such long hours between missions and the hospital and it was nice to still have someone make bento and dango for her on occasion. The price she paid for it was the nagging from her mom who wasn't ready for her little girl to be all grown up. Maybe in a couple of years she could get a place of her own, that is if she hadn't …Why was Naruto popping into her head at the thought of getting her own place? What was wrong with her this morning?

Sakura quickly ate her breakfast and put her boots on before she ran out the door. "I'll be back later!" she cried to her mom as she ran out the front door. Maybe she wouldn't be just to freak her mom out. She didn't need to report to both her mom and Tsunade! One shiso was enough. Mom could deal with her being home late once in a while when she wasn't on a mission.

Sakura arrived at the hospital and she was in luck, no Ino this morning. "Good," she said under her breath. She quickly refilled her bag and marked what she took on the inventory form before running out the door. It only took another couple of minutes to get to Tsunade's office. She found Naruto waiting out in the hall. He looked like he hadn't slept well at all. His hair was always a mess, but it looked like he had just crawled out of bed.

"Ohayo, Sakura-chan," said the sleepy Naruto with a yawn.

"Good morning Naruto. Didn't you get any sleep last night? You look half dead," Sakura asked the sleepy head.

"Sakura-chan, I … um… well, no. I went to sleep right after I left your house but I kept waking up every hour," stuttered Naruto.

'What was he so nervous about?' wondered Sakura.

"You were at Sakura's last night? I didn't know you liked ugly girls," teased Sai as he came around the corner toward the Hokage's office.

"Shut up Sai! I'm not in the mood to talk to you this morning!" snapped Naruto.

'Boy, he was in a bad mood. However, shut up Sai!' thought Sakura. Now she really wanted to know what happened when she was asleep.

"Sai, I was in a good mood until you showed up. Don't make me hit you this morning," chimed in Sakura.

"Sakura's in a good mood and Naruto's in a pissy mood. What did you two do last night?" Sai said. He didn't show emotion, but the question irritated Naruto just as if he had.

"I told you to shut up!" Naruto exclaimed as he gave Sai a warning blow to the shoulder.

"Now, now. What happened to all that teamwork that we have been doing so well at lately?" Asked Yamato-taicho as he arrived on the scene. "Do I have to lock the three of you up after all the missions you've been on together?" He threatened.

"Yamato-taicho," said Sakura.

"Maybe just Naruto and Sakura. They spent some time together last night and messed up our teamwork without me," came Sai's dry attempt at a joke. Naruto shot him a nasty look and you could see his eyes getting cat like with anger.

"Come in!" Tsunade called from her office.

"Hai, Hai," grumbled Naruto.

"Naruto, she's going to kill you if you answer her like that," Sakura said under her breath as they stopped in front of the Hokage's desk.

Tsunade was use to his mouthing off, but her temper was short and one of these days she just might lose it. However, she didn't seem to notice Naruto's grumbling.

"I wanted to let you all know that I reviewed your report of the last mission and I've decided to give you a couple of days off to rest. Now, I want you to really rest, so I've set up three paid passes for Yamato, Sakura and Naruto at the hot springs. Sai, I know you got a concussion so I want you to spend time at home resting. I'll reserve your hot springs pass for when you're not in danger of passing out from the heat. Naruto, I'm going to send you on a special mission for me when your break is over, so be ready. Sakura, I'm going to have you be his back up. I'll give you more details when you meet me at 6:30 in two days. Here are your passes. Dismissed! Sakura, wait up. I want to talk to you a second," said Tsunade as she ended their brief meeting.

Once the guys had left, Tsunade stood up and looked out the window that was behind her desk. She paused momentarily turning to look at Sakura before she spoke.

"Sakura, I want you to keep an eye on Naruto. He's been acting more and more depressed lately and it has me worried. I want you to make sure to keep his mind off whatever has been bugging him, or at least try to figure out what it is so that we can help him get back to his normal self. I don't like seeing him this quiet and reserved. It isn't right," Tsunade said with a worried expression on her face.

"Hai, shiso," replied Sakura. She'd noticed too that he was distant. The search for Sasuke had been long and hard, but for some reason she thought there was something more to his dark mood lately.

Sakura left Tsunade's office and turned to follow after Naruto. She wondered if he would go straight to the hot springs or to Ichiraku for breakfast. It didn't take long to find him. He was walking at a relaxed pace toward the gate leading to the Hokage mansion. His shoulders drooped and his gaze was downcast. He did not resemble the overly energetic knucklehead she had grown up with.

"Hey, Naruto! Wait up!" she called after him before he reached the gate.

"Sakura-chan?" he said as he looked up from where his gaze was focused on the path before him.

"Naruto, want to go to the hot springs together? I know we can't bath in the same area, but maybe we can plan for a picnic lunch afterword's and then just see where we go from there?" suggested Sakura with a smile that she hoped would cause him to smile.

"OK Sakura-chan, I'd like that," said the pleasantly surprised blonde, but no smile formed. They started down the street toward the hot springs walking side by side. He returned to studying the path in front of him as if he was afraid to look at Sakura. This worried Sakura a bit, but she intended to get him back to his old smiley self again soon.

"I also wanted to thank you for taking me home last night. It took me a while to find my boots, but it was sweet of you to do that. I wanted to know what happened after I fell asleep. How long was it before you took me home? I felt bad for falling asleep on you that quick. I know you wanted to hang out and all I did was pass out. Sorry," confessed the pink haired kunoichi.

"Oh… um…well…I guess we stayed like that for a while. I didn't want to wake you up and you were sleeping so peacefully that I didn't want to ruin it for you. I took you home after the stars came out. I really liked just being with you that I didn't want to take you home right away. I'm sorry," he said as he nervously focused on his feet more than where they were walking.

Why was his response bugging her? She felt like he was leaving something out, but what was it. She decided to confront him with it. She had never been one to talk feelings with Naruto, but maybe it was time to face the uncomfortable in the hopes of seeing him smile that smile he was famous for.

"Naruto, I'm worried about you. I haven't seen that famous smile of yours lately. Did something happen that I don't know about? And this morning, you seemed even touchier. What happened last night that you aren't telling me?" Boy, this was harder than she thought. She could feel her stomach turning into knots as she wondered at his reply.

"Sa.. Sakura-chan?!" he said as he looked up at her with a surprised, confused look on his face.

What should he tell her? Should he tell her that the thought of not being strong enough to bring Sasuke home to her was eating him up inside? Should he tell her that she had been dreaming of Sasuke and him last night and that she was even talking in her sleep while she lay in _his_ arms?

"Sakura, I…" he stumbled over his own thoughts as he tried to figure out what to say. He had never been clever with words. He usually could just say what he was thinking, but the words were getting caught in his throat this morning. "Sakura, let's go sit on that bench over there. I know I've been preoccupied lately and I'm sorry. It's not fair to you or our team," he said as he directed her over to a bench on the side of the road leading to the hot springs.

That was the first time she had heard him say her name without the familiar "-chan" after it. Whatever it was, it must really be bothering him. She followed him over to the bench and sat down next to him. She sat close like last night, but that didn't seem to bother either of them. Their bodies were doing it automatically like they were meant to share the same space.

"Sakura...-chan," he said as he hesitantly added the –chan. "I heard you talking in your sleep last night and I guess I've been thinking about what you said. That's why I didn't sleep too well. You were talking about Sasuke…and me. I guess that got me to thinking about how I've failed you in bringing him back to you. I promise I'll bring him back!" he said with the same expression on his face that he had that day in the hospital after Sasuke left.

"What exactly did I say, Naruto," she asked him. She looked him with her 'I'll beat you to within an inch of your life' stare, but his deep blue's were avoiding her gaze. He took a deep breath before giving her an answer.

"Well, you said, 'Naruto…Sasuke…Don't go'; 'Sasuke…don't follow him…Naruto' and then you said, 'Naruto…love'," he said.

Sakura was embarrassed that she had talked in her sleep. 'So he heard all of that? But that was not what my dream was about. He has it all out of context! How do I tell him that without…?' Sakura couldn't figure out what she didn't want to tell him, but he had to know that she hadn't dreamt about looking for Sasuke, but just the opposite.

"Naruto, I wasn't dreaming about Sasuke leaving. I don't really remember it all but… but, in my dream, after you said you loved me I asked you not to follow Sasuke anymore. It was just a silly dream, Naruto. I don't remember ever being told that I was talking in my sleep before. It must have been because I was so tired. At least I didn't try to hit you with a resengan," she said as she tried to lighten the mood.

"You heard that?!" blurted out Naruto. His face flushed as he let it slip that he told her he loved her right before she started talking in her sleep.

"I heard what? What are you talking about Naruto?" said his confused teammate.

His heart was stuck in his throat. Should he tell her?

"Oh, boy! Um…I guess I may have said something similar to what I said in your dream before you started talking. You were just so beautiful as you were sleeping on my shoulder that I may have said 'I love you'," he said as he winced as he held his arms above his head preparing himself for the punch he was sure would follow.

She was surprised at his confession, but the punch never came. She was in too much shock at the direction the conversation was taking to react with her usual 'NARUTO!' and a punch to his face. In fact, all she could focus on was his face as he winced in anticipation of the punch. The rest of the world just seemed distant and that they were the only two people on the planet.

Naruto looked surprised as she just sat there in shock at his retelling of last night's events. Did she even hear him right? Did he say all that out loud and was time really standing still. He let his arms fall back slowly to his sides so that he could study her expression. He decided to keep opening up to her. It actually was relieving to get some of this out in the open and if she wasn't going to punch him, he might as well get some of his hurt off his chest before she woke up from her state of shock and clobber him.

"Sakura, you know that I've always liked you, I just don't want to see you cry any more. You didn't know it, but I was watching you when you started to cry while I was training with Kakashi and Yamato. I know I must be a disappointment to you and I'm sorry. It must be so frustrating to trust a baka like me with a promise like that. I know I've been distant. I think it's because I'm not strong enough to bring Sasuke back. I really wanted to make you happy and I know he broke your heart when he left. He broke mine too. He was my best friend, but you are in love with him. I never want to see you hurt like that. I just want to make you happy. I'm sorry for making you worry. I never go back on my word! I'll bring him home, just you wait," he said as he attempted to make a smile after that last statement.

"Baka! I wasn't crying because I'm disappointed in you!" said the shocked Sakura finally breaking from her silence. "I was crying because you were working so hard and getting so broken down in the process. I believe in you and I don't want you ever to doubt yourself because of me. Why do you think I kept making all those solder pills for you? I can only do things for you that are small and insignificant, but I want to help you keep your promise to yourself as much as I can. Sasuke isn't worth bringing back if I lose you!" she exclaimed. Why was this suddenly feeling like déjà vu? This was starting to sound like her dream last night. "I told you that we could become stronger _together_ and bring him back _together. _If anyone is holding us back, it is me. I couldn't hope to fight him face to face. I may have physical strength, but I can't counter chidori and I'm only good in combat if I can land a punch. I've been trained to dodge attacks and stay out of harm's way so that I can keep all of you on the front lines alive," she said. Why was all this opening up making her suddenly more confused? Was it the hurt in her heart caused by the hurt in his deep blue eyes?

"Sakura-chan," was all he said.

They sat there in silence. Both felt like they had said too much and now they didn't know what to say. It was an uncomfortable silence. Both fearing what the other would say if they tried to speak. They just sat there gazing into each other's face looking for the words to say next. Naruto was the first to break the gaze and he returned to studying the ground before him. He seemed to be trying to digest what she just said and come up with a reply. After a moment to sort out his thoughts, Naruto broke the silence. He wanted to know something even if she did punch him when he asked.

"Sakura," he said in a tone too serious for the Naruto she knew. "Do you still want me to bring Sasuke back? Do you still love him?"

Why was he asking her that? He was certain that she still loved Sasuke. He turned his head to look her in the eye and waited for her answer.

"Naruto…?" she asked as she felt on the verge of tears.

Why was the thought of her saying _yes_ making her heart break? Did she really want to say yes? Her body was longing to take away the pain she saw in his eyes. She wanted to heal him from the pain that had been directing his focus for the past four years. She shifted her weight so that she could look him more in the face. How could she tell him that her feelings had changed, even if she didn't know when or really why?

Memories of their last year were flying through her mind. Thoughts of Naruto in four tail form made her heart break. Memories of his smile and ever increasing maturity made her heart almost melt. His hard work and determination made her proud of her best friend. His selflessness in the face of danger made her want to protect him. One thing she was sure of, she didn't want to lose him. She sat there looking into his eyes as these emotions almost made her dizzy, but for some reason his gaze steadied her.

His eyes probed her own emerald green orbs looking for some sign of hope. She felt lost in his gaze and it was making her heart flutter and made her stomach queasy, but in a good way. Why was this blonde idiot making her feel like this? And, why did his mouth suddenly look enticing? Before her head could find an answer her body responded. She suddenly leaned into him and put her right hand on his left thigh. His muscles tensed beneath her hand. She was now so close that he could feel her breath on his lips.

"Saku…" he tried to say as she suddenly placed her lips gently on his. They were so soft and warm and it was so sudden that he didn't want to move for fear of breaking the dream. She pressed her lips on his and after a brief pause he finally relaxed enough to return the kiss letting his long denied desire for her to take over. The kiss only lasted for a moment, but to Naruto, it felt as if all time stood. Before he knew it, the kiss was over. She had opened her eyes and was looking into the deep blue of his eyes.

"Naruto, if it means losing you …I don't want Sasuke to come home," replied the girl of his dreams.

She leaned in to give him another kiss. This was so wrong that it just felt right. She was kissing Naruto. _Naruto!_ It gave her a rush as he brought his arms up around her waist and suddenly reacted like he wanted her as close to him as possible making it a full body kiss. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders returning his embrace. They stayed like that until they had to come up for air. This was new to both of them. They finally had to come up for air and released the kiss and opened their eyes but they did not release the embrace.

"Well, shall we get started on that trip to the hot springs now?" said Sakura. Her face had almost turned as pink as her hair. Why did she feel like this? She had never felt this happy and this confused all at once. Naruto relaxed his embrace enough so that he could look into her eyes better.

"Am I dreaming? If I am, I don't want to wake up!" he said with a huge smile on his flushed face. The first real smile she had seen in a few weeks. He was grinning from ear to ear. "Of course I'll go anywhere you are, Sakura-chan."

They slowly released their hold on each other and stood up. They hadn't stopped looking into each other's eyes and they both were still blushing. After a moment they turned and started walking toward the hot springs. They had no idea of how to act now that they had kissed. Sakura kept nervously glancing at Naruto almost as if to check to see if all this was still real. Naruto had his right hand in his pocket and he was scratching the back of his head with his left hand. She knew he did that when he was nervous and didn't know what to do. They passed by a local store and picked up some bento for lunch later. Naruto picked out the largest bento the owner had available and Sakura picked out a simple shumi bento for herself. To Sakura's surprise, Naruto paid the store owner for both bentos. They put them in Sakura's medical bag that she still had with her, but Naruto insisted on carrying it. They turned to leave as Kakashi walked into the shop.

"Kakashi-sensei?!" said the startled Naruto. He wasn't really ready to talk to anyone other than Sakura right now.

"Naruto, Sakura, I heard you got the next couple of days off. Any plans?" asked Kakashi as he glanced at them over the book he always seemed to be reading whenever they saw him. He didn't seem too interested in their answer, but he asked anyway.

"Naruto and I were heading to the hot springs. I thought you were out on another mission?" asked the much calmer Sakura. She was acting as if nothing out of the ordinary was going on, but Inner Sakura wanted more lip action and really wanted to duck out of there as fast as possible.

"Oh, you know," answered their ever illusive sensei. Couldn't he give a real answer just once?

Sakura and Naruto both just looked at each other. They seemed to both be thinking the same thing 'let's just get out of here'. Naruto shifted Sakura's bag on his shoulder and she couldn't help but clasp her hands behind her back and quickly look down at her boots as if she was looking for an excuse to tell their sensei if he started asking more questions.

"Naruto," Kakashi began. He seemed to suddenly notice how nervous they both seemed to be. "Is there anything going on between you two? I bumped into Yamato and he said you two were acting like you did when Sai first joined the team. Is there something I should know about?" asked the silver haired ninja. He specialized in reading body language, and they knew it which made them begin to act even more nervous.

"No, nothing dattebayo," Naruto said with that nervous laugh of his as he started scratching the back of his head again.

'Stop it Naruto,' Sakura thought. 'He knows you well enough to know you're hiding something with that reaction!'

"Hmm?" was all Kakashi replied. He was sure of it now. Something was going on. He also had a feeling that it had nothing to do with Sai.

"Well, I guess I don't have anything to worry about. Ja Na," he said. Kakashi simply acted as if he brushed off the reaction, but he decided to keep an eye on them anyway.

Sakura had a feeling that Kakashi knew more about what was going on then he was letting on, but she didn't want to hang around any longer than she and Naruto had to. They thanked the shop owner and said farewell to their sensei before quickly heading toward the street. Naruto lead Sakura up the hill toward the hot springs. They decided to pass by the baths and head toward the waterfall on the far side. Neither of them was in the mood to leave the other's company just yet. They went to the twin waterfalls not too far from where Naruto had learned the summoning jutsu. They had the place all to themselves, never noticing that they were being watched by someone above the waterfall. Kakashi had picked a well hidden spot in a tree where he could see what they were doing and still get some reading done.

Sakura removed her boots and laid them on the river bank. She had decided to sit on a rock and dangle her toes in the water. Naruto on the other hand took off his Jacket and t-shirt and sprawled himself on the grass near the river. Kakashi watched as Sakura got up and walked over to where the blonde was. She sat down next to Naruto's bare waist and placed her left hand on the other side of his body and it looked to him like they were doing a little flirting while they talked. They seemed to be having a good time when they suddenly became serious. Sakura leaned down and kissed Naruto right on the lips.

Kakashi was a little shocked at this and his book suddenly wasn't very interesting anymore. When had this happened? They weren't the first teammates to develop into a couple, but Kakashi suddenly felt very old and out of touch at the sight of _his_ two little students kissing. This was way more interesting than his latest book in the "Icha-Icha" series, but he started feeling a little embarrassed and decided that he had seen enough to know what was wrong with their team work. It wasn't one single person's lack of team work at all, but young love getting in the way. He would have to tell Yamato to watch out just in case the over emotional Naruto and the under emotional Sai started butting heads as Naruto and Sakura became more involved. He had no plans of letting on that he knew, but he had also seen missions fail because of self sacrifice in the name of love more than once. Better safe than sorry.

* * *

Naruto and Sakura remained in that pose for several minutes switching between kissing and talking. It was like a weight had been lifted off of both of them and they were just drunk with sweet emotion. After a while, Naruto's stomach began to rumble and they pulled out the bento from Sakura's bag. They laughed as this brought memories of the first bento lunch that they had shared together. Naruto had been tied to a post and Sakura had offered to feed him some of her bento, but Kakashi had reappeared before he took a bite. Naruto never took his bite and he had been left forgotten tied to the post. Neither one had any idea how their new team would be affected by them dating, but they weren't thinking of that either.

"Naruto, I can't believe the change in you since this morning. I didn't realize that you were such a good kisser either," giggled Sakura as her cheeks began to flush. She had opened his bento and handed it to him along with a pair of chopsticks.

"Sakura-chan, you're pretty good too. Much better than Sasuke," Naruto laughed and his famous smile had now returned to the face that had been so solemn just an hour ago.

They broke down into joyous laughter that echoed off of the nearby twin waterfalls. Naruto's stomach growled again and this brought a second round of laughs.

"Itadakimasu," they said as they started their lunch. Neither one of them could stop smiling. Their cheeks were now hurting, but they were enjoying each other's company and didn't seem to notice.

"Sakura-chan, I feel so right being here with you. We've always had a good time together and I'm glad that you don't mind being with a knucklehead like me. I really need to confess something though. Today almost wasn't our first kiss. Um…do you remember when you and Sasuke almost kissed?" Naruto asked becoming suddenly embarrassed.

"Naruto, how did you know that we almost kissed?...Oh, was that you?" Sakura said as she suddenly realized what she had wondered all those years. Why had Sasuke almost kissed her one minute and called her "annoying" the next. Come to think of it, she had based her whole 'love' of Sasuke on that memory. She blushed at the sudden realization of what had really taken place all those years ago.

"Naruto, I didn't know how good your henge no jutsu was and it had always puzzled me as to why Sasuke was acting so strange. Come to think of it, you did a really good job as Sasuke and I wouldn't have been confused if he hadn't called me 'annoying' a few minutes later. It was at that moment that I had a taste of what you must have gone through every time I called you that. I tried to be nicer to you, but I was already in the habit of cutting you down all the time. I'm sorry I've been so mean to you Naruto. I had Sasuke on a pedestal and you had to work your way up. Can I ever make it up to you?" said Sakura as she leaned over and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Sakura-chan, it was worth it all and you _more_ than made up for it when you kissed me this morning. But, does it mean you won't punch me when I say stupid stuff anymore," said the hopeful Naruto.

"Naruto," Sakura giggled, "I promise not to hit you too hard. This is all new to me too, so I can't promise anything. I'll let you in on a little secret. I think Shizune's afraid of me too. I overheard her say to Yamato that my temper is getting more like Tsunade's every day. You know, I think people wonder if we are turning into our senseis. I've heard people refer to you as the second Jiraiya," she said with a giggle.

"Me like Ero-sennin? I only tried to peek at you once…oops," Naruto said suddenly realizing what he had just said.

"When did you try to peek at me," wondered the slightly annoyed kunoichi. "Tell me when Naruto," she added sternly.

"Well, do you remember that first mission with Sai when we went to the hot springs? I was curious as to how you had really grown up and was about to find out when Yamato told me a scary story about how Tsunade almost killed Jiraiya for peaking at her at the hot springs. I've been too afraid to try anything like that ever since," blushed the now nervous Naruto.

Sakura just started laughing as Naruto looked a little confused and relieved.

"Naruto," she said with a giggle. "I'm flattered that you wanted to see how I'd grown especially after you said I hadn't changed at all when you came back. This doesn't mean you can peek now though!"

"Got it!" Naruto said with a salute. This brought another round of laughter and Sakura almost lost her bento box, but Naruto managed to catch it.

"Hey Sakura-chan, want to wade in the waterfall over there? I'm not really in the mood for the hot springs just yet," confessed Naruto as he put his bento box back in the bag. He stood up and stretched revealing how toned his body was after years of conditioning. Sakura couldn't help but notice the lines of his muscles as he stood before her in the afternoon sun. She found herself thinking 'ooohh' and she blushed a little when she noticed her own reaction.

"OK, Naruto. But I didn't bring a swim suit," she said hoping he wasn't planning on getting her soaked. She too put her bento box in the bag.

"That's OK. I didn't bring one either and it isn't like I haven't gotten wet in these cloths before," he said with a huge grin. Just what she thought, he was planning on getting wet.

They made their way over to the pool at the base of the waterfall. It wasn't very deep, so they didn't even need chakra to walkout into the middle. Just as she suspected, he got a really silly look on his face as he made a quick little splash of water in her direction. He missed, but that didn't stop her from retaliating. She splashed back and the water fight ensued leaving them soaked and smiling. Sakura slipped on the rocks as they were getting out landing her in Naruto's arms. They started laughing, but soon they were looking into each other's eyes, out of breath but smiling. Naruto leaned down and gave her a kiss full on the lips and Sakura reacted by reaching up around his neck and pulling herself closed to his body. Her strong desire for him made her want to press her body against his. They released their embrace and went back to where their belongings were sitting on the grass and left for the hot springs at a relaxed pace. They held hands and were all smiles as they went back up the hill, dripping as they went.

"Naruto, before we get to the hot springs, what should we do about everyone knowing about us?" said Sakura with a hint of confusion in her voice. "If we show up holding hands, not that I don't want to be seen holding hands with you, but do we want them to figure it out right away, or should we keep this a secret for now," she asked the blonde.

"Well, I've never had a girlfriend before. I don't ever remember Kurinai-sensei and Asuma-sensei holding hands and I never even knew they got married until recently. It would be weird if the enemy knew about us for sure, but I don't know that I'm ready to get teased yet either. I know Kiba would be all over this and Sai was already insulting just this morning. I don't know if I can keep a check on my temper and I just want to enjoy you just as we are right now," said a surprisingly wise knucklehead ninja.

"OK, Naruto. I don't want Ino to tease me and ruin this either. With you being the target of Akatsuki and the most powerful ninja here could cause problems even if our friends knew," she replied.

"Sakura, you really think I'm the most powerful ninja?" asked a surprised Naruto.

"Yes Naruto. Who else completed the resengan and who saved me and everyone else all those times before? Even Kakashi said you were stronger than him and I always thought he was the strongest," she confessed to her blonde boyfriend.

"Sakura-chan," was all he said in wide eyed amazement.

They continued up the hill, but let go of their hands when they reached the boundary of the hot springs. They saw Yamato leaving the men's bathing area when they arrived. He gave them a wondering glance but didn't say anything about the conversation he had just had with Kakashi. He knew that they had hooked up, but he and Kakashi decided to leave it just between the two of them just in case the enemy had a mind reader like the members of the Yamanaka clan. Everyone had to be careful with Naruto being the jinchurikii.

"Naruto, Sakura, you two look like you've been having fun. Is getting soaked you version of relaxing," quizzed their team captain who was inwardly laughing.

Naruto and Sakura just gave each other a nervous glance and blushed. So much for not being obvious.

"Yamato-taicho, we just decided that it was too early for a hot bath and we ended up in a water fight. I was just trying to cheer up Naruto," bluffed Sakura.

'Good one,' thought Naruto.

"Well, Sakura, I think your plan worked. He looks much more relaxed now. Naruto, I hope you're truly feeling better now. I thought I would have to break up a fight between you and Sai the way you were acting this morning," said Yamato. He was trying really hard not to tease them about their obvious awkwardness as they tried to hide their emotions.

"Heh Heh Heh," was all Naruto managed to reply as he scratched the back of his head with his left hand nervously.

"Enjoy the baths you two. You really look like you could use the warm water now. Well, I'm off," he said as he raised his right arm in a farewell pose and turned to go back to the center of town.

Naruto and Sakura both breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was close. Well, I'll meet you here in about forty five minutes?" he asked as he handed her bag back to her.

"OK," she said. The urge to give him a parting kiss was strong but she resisted now that they were back in public. 'I hope taicho didn't notice. He sure was studying us awfully close,' she thought to herself.

They entered their respective sides of the bath. Sakura hung her cloths up neatly in the sun to dry before she entered the steaming hot water. The springs felt so good after the mornings activates. She missed her blonde companion, but it was nice to have a few minutes to sort out her thoughts and feelings, if that were at all possible. She couldn't believe at the turn of events since she woke up this morning. She never had any intention to kiss Naruto this morning, but her emotions had just take over and for once her inhibitions never held her back. She had known since Naruto came back from training with Jiraiya that her feelings had turned from Sasuke to Naruto, but she had never admitted to herself how big of a change that they had made. She sat their thinking about Naruto, his smile, his laugh, his tears and his frustration. She had vowed to get stronger _with_ him; she just never imagined that it would make their _relationship_ stronger too. The memory of Sasuke seemed so far away now. She had lost her focus on him and now it was on Naruto. She then made a new vow to herself that she would protect this new bond at all cost for it was a bond worth protecting. She also knew that it was going to be hard to hide her feelings for him when she was with him. She wanted not to call him "baka" any more, but if she didn't people may start to wonder what was up. She hadn't hit him so much lately, so that change may not be so obvious. She let out a deep sigh and slid ever deeper into the hot water until her hair just barely touched the water's surface.

* * *

Naruto tossed his wet pants and boxers on a nearby rock to dry in the sun and rinsed himself off before folding a towel to put on his head. He stepped into the water and sunk down as far as he could go. He was tempted to peek at his new girlfriend through the bamboo wall that separated the men from the women, but decided that it was safer to wait for a different opportunity. Besides, he had promised her he wouldn't. It was only day one of their relationship and he didn't want to ruin it by making her mad. He already risked it with that water fight which turned out better than he imagined. Naruto thought about how well he knew Sakura and how they were able to read each other on the battle field, but she was pulling out all the surprises today. First with that kiss and then with her reactions not ending in a 'shannaro'. He let out a deep sigh only to hear a sigh coming from the other side just about as big. He broke out in laughter and he heard Sakura echo his laughter when she realized that they had both sighed at the same time.

"Hey, Sakura-chan," he laughed, "I hope that is you I hear over there."

"Yes, Naruto, it's me."

"Just checking," he said with a laugh.

Naruto was the only one on the men's side, but he heard what sounded like the voices of Ino, Hinata, and Tenten going to the women's side. 'Poor Sakura-chan,' he thought.

She had dreaded seeing Ino all day and now it looked like she couldn't avoid it any longer.

"Sakura, what are you doing here? I didn't know you guys were back from you mission yet?" asked Ino loud enough for Naruto to hear. The three friends joined Sakura in the water as she spoke.

"Ino, Tenten, Hinata. We got back late yesterday so Tsunade-shiso gave us a couple of days off to heal our wounds before the next mission. No work at the hospital today huh?" replied a slightly annoyed pink haired kunoichi.

"Nope, not today. Is Naruto alright to be left alone? I bumped into Sai and he said Naruto was really pissed this morning," Ino inquired.

"I can hear you Ino! I'm right here!" yelled Naruto from the other side of the partition.

"Oh, hi Naruto. Didn't know you were there!" She called back with a slight flush appearing on her cheeks.

"So Ino-pig, if you bumped into Sai this morning that means you knew we were back," smirked Sakura.

"Well, we decided to check up on you since he made it sound like you two were acting weird. Looks like you are your normal grumpy self, forehead," Ino smirked back.

"Is N-Naruto-kun ok?" asked a Hinata in her own quiet way. This annoyed Sakura because she knew Hinata had a crush on Naruto.

"I'm fine Hinata!" called out Naruto. This made Hinata turn bright red, which made Sakura flush.

'Not helping, Naruto,' Sakura thought wanting to sink even further into the hot water.

The girls then started talking of other gossip in the village, which Naruto tuned out and returned to his soak. He was glad none of his guy friends had shown up. He could hear the girls giggling from time to time, but he just relaxed as he reminisced about his morning with Sakura which brought a smile to his lips.

It wasn't long before it was time to get out and meet Sakura. He could hear Sakura saying good bye to the other girls and he got out as quietly as he could so that Ino wouldn't hear him get up and start teasing again. His cloths were dry so he shook them out and quickly got dressed. He went out to the front and waited for his girl. He surprised himself as to how excited he was feeling at seeing her. She soon arrived dressed in a now dry outfit. They turned to go back into town. Both had the urge to hold hands, but denied it. He took her med kit from her and put the strap on his shoulder.

"Sakura-chan, want to go get some dango or something?" he asked not knowing what else to do now that they were leaving the hot springs.

"How about some sweetened chestnuts?" she replied.

They turned to go to the chestnut stand near the academy that was a favorite hangout for the academy students after class. They were still in class, so they hoped to have a quiet place to themselves under the giant chestnut tree where the shop owner got his supply. Naruto bought two drinks and they sat down under the tree on a nearby bench.

"Sorry about Ino and the others showing up. Hope you didn't have too much trouble," said a suddenly shy Naruto.

"Oh Naruto. Don't worry about that. I was annoyed, but I guess I'll have to get use to biting my tongue. She's always wanted a boyfriend first now I just wish I could rub it in a little bit. Not that you wanted to know, but she has a crush on Sai and I don't think that is going to happen any time soon. He is clueless when it comes to her flirting with him and it is kind of funny," Sakura said with a smile.

Naruto laughed. He knew just how clueless Sai was when it came to anything dealing with emotions.

They sat there sipping their warm chestnut drinks in silence. They were both getting tired from the morning's activities and the hot springs had relaxed them and drained them of some of their energy. They both sighed and giggled at another shared sigh. They were glad that they could sit in silence and not have it feel weird. After they had finished their drinks, they sat there for a long time just talking and enjoying each other's company.

"Naruto, I think I need to change out of these cloths and get rid of my bag so you don't feel like you have to carry it everywhere."

"OK. Mind if I come with you?" he asked hoping she would say yes.

"As long as you don't mind having to talk to my mom if she's home," Sakura replied.

"Ohh," he replied as the color drained a little from his face. He'd never met her mom before and wasn't sure he was ready for that step this soon.

They walked to Sakura's house and found that her mom wasn't at home, probably running errands. Naruto stayed in the entry way, too scared to try anything in case Sakura's mom showed up. He didn't want to risk her temper if Sakura was anything like her mother.

Sakura left her boots downstairs and ran up to change into a fresh outfit. She went to the mirror to check if her hair was still half way decent looking after this morning and found herself lost in thought.

'What am I doing? It's Naruto! I'm falling for Naruto!' Her mind was trying to grasp this concept, but she stood there with a goofy smile in front of the mirror. 'And he's a really great kisser. Shannaro!' said Inner Sakura. A memory of his shirtless body flashed through her mind and Inner Sakura liked her lips. She realized that she had been staring off into space and shook the image from her mind. The real thing was waiting for her down stairs and she'd better get down there before her mom came home.

It was nearing 5 O'clock and a summer storm had started to roll in. The wind had started to blow and they could feel the humidity rising. They were both feeling a little sleepy and the thought of taking a nap sounded too tempting especially with Naruto not sleeping well last night. He had recently got a T.V. so they decided to go back to his place and just hang out. No one to bother them there.

They headed toward Naruto's apartment when they saw Shikamaru, Choji, Ino, Hinata, Kiba, and Sai walking toward the Choji's favorite BBQ place for dinner. They were hoping not to be noticed, but it was too late. Ino had already spotted them and was waiving to them. They both looked at each other with a looks that said, 'might as well' and walked toward their friends. It had been a while since everyone was in town at once, so they might as well make the most of it. They joined their friends in the conversation, mostly dominated by Ino who kept close to Sai. Hinata felt the most secure next to her teammate Kiba, but she kept glancing at Naruto and blushing. He didn't notice as he, Kiba, Shikamaru and Choji caught up on what had been going on in recent missions and the latest news. Sakura fell in beside Ino, but she wasn't really interested in watching her rival flirt with the clueless Sai. Kiba had left Akamaru at home since the restaurant was one place he couldn't bring his partner. He and Akamaru had gotten in trouble with the owner the last time he brought the nin-dog there in a henge. They went in and were seated at one of the larger tables.

Sakura and Naruto had just eaten, so they were not very hungry, but they ordered full meals anyway because they were sure Choji would eat any leftovers. They also sat across from each other so as not to be obvious about their relationship. Hinata wanted to sit next to Naruto, but Kiba sat between them for a reason he wasn't ready to admit. Once they started bringing the meal everyone relaxed into their conversations including Sakura and Naruto.

"So, Naruto, the chunnin exams are coming up," started Shikamaru, "do you have any idea if Tsunade is going to let you enter?"

"The chunnin exams…I haven't had time to even notice they are coming around again. I don't want to be the only genin in our age group, but I don't even have a team to enter with."

"I think Hokage-sama will have something figured out for you. You haven't been the only teamless genin to take the exams. How do you think Sakura took the exams with you away? She'll find you a temporary team to work with. Guarantee it," said a confident Shikamaru.

"Thanks, Shikamaru. I hadn't thought about that. I've just had my mind elsewhere. I only remember I'm a genin when dog boy over here teases me."

"I heard that, baka-genin!" came an angry reply from Kiba.

"Knock it off you two!" chimed in Sakura.

"Kiba-kun, Naruto-kun please don't fight," came a quiet retort from Hinata. Sakura was a little surprised that she even spoke up.

"Sorry Sakura-chan…..uh, and Hinata. I'll try not to pick a fight tonight," said Naruto. Naruto almost let it slip that he didn't want to ruin an almost perfect day for Sakura, but he quickly bit his lip before he said it out loud.

The conversation moved on to other things and it turned out to be a good time for all involved. No one seemed to notice when Naruto got really quiet while he was lost in thought staring at Sakura but, he got a couple of odd looks when she kicked him to break him out of it before he was noticed and he let out and "ouch".

They finished dinner and everyone was going to go to the movies, but Naruto gave the excuse that he was still tired from their mission and Sakura said she had promised to go home and help her mom. They waved goodbye and waited until everyone had turned the corner before going to Naruto's apartment. The wind wasn't quite as strong as it had been before, but the clouds were heavy with their contents. They arrived at his apartment just as it started to rain. He opened the door and Sakura found that it was very clean for his room except for the cloths and under armor lying on the floor from last night. Naruto couldn't resist his urge anymore and pulled her close for a long awaited kiss. She was very willing in her reply and they remained that way for several minutes only coming up for air. Standing there in the entry way they held each other, Sakura's arms around Naruto's shoulders with one hand in his shaggy blonde hair. Naruto held her close by wrapping his arms around her waist holding her so tightly to him that there was no room left between their bodies. The only sounds they could hear was their hearts beating wildly with excitement and their own heavy breathing as their hormones were on fire.

They broke from their kiss after what seemed like forever. They removed their boots and Sakura lead him by his hand as they made their way to Naruto's room where his TV was. Naruto pulled her back toward him and brought her into his embrace again. They remained lip locked again for several minutes. They were intoxicated with sweet emotion and they never wanted this moment to end. They slowly stumbled back to his bed still in each other's arms as Naruto directed Sakura to sit down with his body. She sat down and Naruto released her from the strong hold he had on her body long enough for him to sit down next to her on the bed. He gazed at the most beautiful woman in the world with his deep blue eyes full of emotion.

"Sakura I want to make you a new promise of a lifetime. I promise that I will always love you. I promise to protect you because you are the most important person to me. Nothing is worth it, not even becoming Hokage or finding Sasuke, if I lose you. Aishiteru, Sakura with all my heart," he said as he looked deep into her emerald green eyes.

Sakura's eyes swelled with tears of joy as he made this new vow to her. His eyes were so sincere and so tender that it was all she could do to focus on breathing.

"I've cared you for so long that I never realized how important you have been to me. I know it now, but I've respected you ever since the first time you stood up to Orochimaru. I've relied on your strength time and time again and that strength helped me to find my own strength. I've been confused about my feelings for you ever since. I've known that I cared for you ever since you returned with Jiraiya a year ago, but just didn't know how much until you went kyuubi. This scar on my arm has reminded me of that decision to _save you_ whenever I see it. Remember this, Uzamaki Naruto, I will always love you," she exclaimed as tears streamed down her cheeks.

He gave her a kiss full of deep emotion and she returned it with all the emotion that was in her heart. They lay down on the bed content to be in each other's arms, completely forgetting the idea of watching TV.

"Aishiteru, Sakura-chan," he said as the rain started to fall gently against the window pain.


End file.
